Indonesian standout Sunoto might have a scheduled bout on 14 January in his hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia, but he has an opponent in mind for his next fight.
The 31-year-old Indonesian fighter has set his sights on a rematch with Filipino fighter Edward Kelly inside the ONE Championship cage later this year.
Both men crossed paths last December on the undercard of ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION, where Kelly overcame a spirited performance from Sunoto to nab the victory in round three by referee stoppage.
Sunoto believes that he has a score to settle with Kelly, who is currently riding high on a three-match winning streak in ONE Championship.
“I want a rematch with Edward Kelly. My fight against him is my only loss in 2016. I would like to redeem myself by facing him again,” he stated.
Before Kelly mounted a much-need rally in the third frame, Sunoto was in control of the featherweight contest as he battered and maneuvered his Filipino foe effortlessly on the ground.
Tides changed in the last round when Kelly had a stand-up exchange and landed a thunderous body kick that sent Sunoto crumbling to the mat, giving him an opening to secure a full mount and finish it with ground-and-pound.
“I was close to finishing Edward Kelly. I believe that I was winning on the judges’ scorecards as well. It was an unfortunate ending for me,” Sunoto said about the fight against Kelly.
Sunoto sees a different outcome if he will be given a chance to lock horns with Kelly once more.
“I have all the respect in the world for Edward. He’s a good man and a good fighter, but I believe that I have a big shot at winning if there will be a rematch in the future,” he claimed.
With a potential second encounter with Kelly on the horizon, Sunoto has to care of the task that it is currently in front of him.
Sunoto is booked to face hard-hitting Cambodian kickboxer Chan Heng at ONE: QUEST FOR POWER, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia on 14 January.
According to Sunoto, he is putting his entire focus on his marquee match-up with Heng as “The Terminator” believes that he is in a must-win situation.
“Basically, I went back to the gym after the Edward Kelly fight. I didn’t take any time off. For this fight, I am leaving everything, including my coaching job to focus on preparing myself for the fight. I really want to win this fight,” Sunoto ended.
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ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN,
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